Weather-proof and weather-resistant covers are used in conjunction with electrical boxes or other housings to protectively enclose various electrical devices. Such covers are particularly useful to afford ready access to exterior electrical outlets while protecting them from moisture and weather.
The typical electrical outlet box is generally rectangular and is closed on five sides and is recessed into or mounted exterially of a structure so that its open side is accessible. The box is typically sized to receive a standard electrical device such as a duplex outlet or switch and the device is secured to the box with its front face substantially flush with the open face of the box. An opening in a wall of the box permits passage of electrical leads for connecting the device to an electrical source or to another such fixture.
The cover assembly of the general type with which we are concerned here includes a cover plate which is co-extensive with the open side of the outlet box. That plate is provided with one or more apertures shaped and located so as to expose the working parts of the device contained in the box while isolating the electrically live parts of the device. The cover is usually secured in place by one or more threaded fasteners extending through an opening in the cover and turned down into a threaded hole in the box or in the device contained therein.
The usual weather-proof cover assembly also includes one or more doors or lids hinged to the cover plate to protect the electrical fixture mounted in the associated box from the weather when the fixture is not in use. In some cases, a single door protects an entire fixture, but sometimes, each aperture in the cover plate has its own door so that, for example, one receptacle of a duplex outlet can be in use while the other outlet receptacle is protected from the weather by an overlying door. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,134,516 and 4,342,493.
The prior weather-proof cover assemblies of this general type are usually relatively complex structures composed of several parts which are fairly difficult to make and to assemble. Some require separate hinge parts to connect each aperture door to the cover plate. Some require separate springs to bias each door to its closed position against the cover plate. During assembly, all of these various parts must be arranged and secured at their proper locations. Thus, all of the drilling, forming and connecting steps required to fabricate the prior box covers makes them relatively expensive hardware items.
Also, most prior outdoor cover assemblies are disadvantaged in that they provide protection against the weather only when the associated electrical fixtures are not in use, i.e., when the cover plate doors are closed. As soon as the doors are swung open to provide access to the associated electrical device, those fixtures are exposed to the elements and become vulnerable to damage from the elements.
However, there do exist some cover assemblies which do protect the associated electrical devices, usually electrical outlets, from the weather when the fixtures are in use. These known assemblies have hinged lids or doors which are deep enough to provide clearance for a plug or plugs plugged into the electrical outlet being protected by the cover assembly. Those assemblies also include openings for accommodating the electrical cords terminated by the plug or plugs, which openings are located at the bottoms of the assemblies so that the openings do not admit rainwater. Examples of such weather-resistant plug-enclosing outlet cover assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,510,745; 4,424,407; 4,803,307 and 4,874,906.
The above plug-enclosing outlet cover assemblies are disadvantaged somewhat in that the hinged doors or lids are not connected positively to the cover plates of those assemblies. Consequently, it is relatively easy for the doors or lids to become separated from the cover plates, with the result that it is relatively easy to avoid using the doors or lids so that the associated electrical devices are left unprotected. Also, being easily separated from the plates, the doors or lids can become lost.
Still further, the prior plug-enclosing cover assemblies all require special seals or gaskets between the doors and the cover plates to prevent infiltration of water when the doors are closed. The seals add to the overall cost of the assemblies and also they can deteriorate over time and loose their sealing ability, particularly if the associated electrical outlets have to accessed repeatedly.
Finally, prior plug-receiving outlet covers are composed of many different parts which are just as expensive to make as the parts of the prior covers discussed at the outset which do not protect the associated fixture when the fixture is being used.